Elevator for grain-separators.



No. 722,945. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903. G. F. GONNER. ELEVATOR FOR GRAINSEPARATORS.

APPLICATION I'ILBD FEB. 12, 1902.

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UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. CONNER, OF PORT HURON, MICHIGAN.

ELEVATOR FOR G RAlN-SEPARATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,945, dated. March17, 1903. Application filed February 12, 1902. Serial No. 93,732. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. CONYNER, a resident of the city of PortHuron, county of St. Clair, and State of Michigan, (whose post-- officeaddress is care of Port Huron Engine & Thresher Works, Port Huron,Michigan,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTailings-Elevators for Grain- Separators and Threshing-Machines, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the elevators ofgrain-separators and threshing-machines which carry tailings from thescreens back to the cylinders. If stones,loose bolts, nuts, and otherhard foreign substances get into I the sieves of a machine, they arepicked up by this elevator and returned to the threshing-cylinder, thuspassing again and again through the running parts to the great detrimentof the latter.

This invention relates to means whereby these foreign substances arearrested during their passage through the elevator and deposited in aplace from which they can be removed at will.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a tailings-elevator of a separatorembodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, inlongitudinal section, of the retaining-pocket. I

Referring to the drawings, A represents the portion of the frame of aseparator or harvesting-machine of the usual type contiguous to andsupporting the lower sieves and carrier devices leading therefrom. Ashaker is supported inlthe usual manner in the lower portion of thisframework to receive the tailings from the sieves and convey them to themechanism by which they are returned to the threshing-cylinder. Thedischarge end B of this shaker is adapted to discharge into thetailings-elevator.

An inclined tailings-elevator C is secured on the side of themain frame,so that its lower or receiving end catches the material discharged fromthe carrier B. Its upper discharge end is so disposed that the materialraised by the elevator falls back into the machine in the usual manner.Said elevator comprises a closed chute c of suitable material and form,.Iwhose bottom plate 0 for the major portion of its length is traversedon its upper face by the blades, buckets, or other like devices of theconveyor-flight. As shown herein, the chute is rectangular incross-section, thus being adapted for a chain and float conveyer D. Thelatter comprises two or more parallel sprocket-chains d a short distanceapart, running over sprocket-wheels d,

journaled in either end of the chute. Said chains are connected atregular intervals with floats or buckets (1 secured thereto in the usualmanner and adapted to sweep the bottom of the trough and carry anymaterial thereon upward to the top of the machine.

A pocket E is formed in the lower end of the chute in its bottom walljust below the path of travel of the floats or buckets (1 Preferably andas herein shown this retaining-pocket is formedby'deepening' the chutefor a portion of itslength, commencing at its lower end, so that itsbottom plate e lies in a plane below the plane of the-jmainbottom plate0 of the chute. The said bottom plate 0' is connected at'its end to thebottom plate 6, its end a being bent downto form a transverse partitionor arresting-shoulder that prevents any upward progress of objectsdropping into the pocket. Preferably the end wall of the chute, which isherein shown as curved to correspond to the sweep of the buckets aroundthe lower sprocket-wheel, is made to form an unbroken plane surface withthis bottom plate. It is seen from this construction that the tailingswhich first fall from the mouth B of the shaker drop into the pocket andthere accumulate until a sufficient quantity has fallen there to. form abed over which the rest of the grain, &c., is swept. Any hard substancesnaturally gravitate to the bottom of the pocket, and as they are belowthe line of the buckets or'fioats they are not disturbed. In case theaccumulated tailings tend to crowd the foreign substances upward,through clogging between the bottom of the chute and the buckets, thetransverse partition arrests them.

It will be noted also that the retainingpocket is in such a positionthat the tailings fall through the slackened chainas it passes and thesprocket.

upward, and are thereby thoroughly agitated. This assists in allowinghard substances to fall below the line of the pockets or floats. Whilethe retaining-pocket is thus directly beneath the discharge end of theshaker, it is so situated in regard to the lower sprocketwheels that thetailings cannot retard the chain by becoming clogged between the latterThe weight of the chain is such as to cause it to reach its lowermostpoint when under motion just before the buckets sweep past the upper endof the pocket, and as a consequence the contents of the latter is keptthoroughly agitated. Thus the elevator-tailings do not become banked orjammed, but are continually passed upward, while the hard substances areretained.

As a matter of convenience the lower plate of the pocket portion of thechute is removably secured in a suitable manner to the side walls toallow the pocket to be emptied as desired. As herein illustrated, thisretainingpocket is formed in achnte which is adapted for a chainconveyer. Obviously an endless screw or other like conveyer-flight mightbe used, in which case, of course, the bottom of the chute would be madeto conform in transverse section to the path of travel of theconveyer-blades. The retaining-pocket, however, wonld be essentially thesame and may obviously be applied to elevators other than those used onthreshing-machines. Many difierent arrangements and details ofconstruction may be used without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and I do not limit myself to any particular form ofconstruction except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a grain-separator, the combination of atailings-elevator, a shaker discharging into said elevator at a pointabove its lower end, and a pocket in the elevator-chute below the pathof motion of the conveyer-flight, and beneath the discharge end of theshaker and above the lower end of the chute.

2. In a grain-separator, the combination of a railings-elevator, ashaker discharging into said elevator at a point above its lower end,and a pocket in the elevator-chute below the path of motion of theconveyer-fiight, and beneath the discharge end of the shaker and abovethe lower end of the chute, said pocket being provided with a removabledoor on its lower side.

3. In a grain-separator, the combination of a tailings-elevator,sprocket-wheels at either end'of said elevator, and a conveyer-flightcomprising chain and floats operated by said sprocket-wheels, a shakerwhose discharge end enters said elevator between said sprocket-Wheelsand a pocket in the elevatorchute beneath the discharge end of theshaker and above the lower end of the chute, said pocket being adaptedto receive the slackened portion of the conveyer-chain as it leaves thelower sprocket.

GEORGE F. (BONNER. Witnesses:

D. E. PURDY, H. B. HOYT.

